Herefordia Comitatus vernacule Hereford shire by Jan Jansson

Code: 53732

Date 1646

waf.  Copper engraving with hand colouring. Overall size : 56cms.x 43.2cms. Image size : 492mm.x 374mm. Blank verso . Centre fold as published.  Jansson's maps  tend to be more decorative than those of his rival Blaeu and here there are two elaborate cartouches and seven armorials (one blank) surrounded by putti.  Repaired tear left hand corner repaired on verso and four other edge tears repaired , one tiny hole at centrefold and 4 cms top of centrefold - see image of back of map.

Jan Jansson Jr (1588-1664) was the son of a bookseller and publisher who had worked with Jodocus Hondius Sr. From about 1633 onwards, his imprint appears on the title-pages of the Mercator-Hondius "Atlas", in conjunction with his brother-in-law, Henry, as they re-issued their "Atlas" in competition with the Blaeus. At this time, many of the maps were re-drawn or replaced and the "Atlas" was expanded to become the "Atlas Novus" series, an attempt to rival Blaeu's "Atlas Maior" for size and quality. Jansson began to prepare his volume devoted to the British Isles c.1640. In 1644 he published eleven county maps in an appendix to the "Atlas", but they appeared from 1646 in the "Novus Atlas". Jansson's county maps are seen far less frequently than those of his rival Blaeu, but are similar in appearance with coats of arms and decorative title cartouches. Jansson, like Blaeu, used Speed maps when creating his own thus showing hundreds but no roads. However, Jansson (and Blaeu) chose to omit Speed's innovative town plans.